Heddlu Gwent Police in Wales dramatically addressed the problem of texting while driving. They produced a four-minute video hosted by YouTube about a young woman who killed four people in a three-car accident because she was distracted by texting. "COW - the film that will stop you txting and driving" used local drama students to produce this realistic and gruesome public service announcement.
Deborah Hersman, Chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, reacted to the Welsh video by saying that it provides a powerful lesson. She said 40,000 people lose their lives each year because of distracted driving practices (cell phone use and texting). In a speech before the International Symposium on Distracted Driving held in Oct. 2008 in Arlington, Virginia, her predecessor, Mark Rosenker, acting Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board discussed the need for states to improve their impaired driving laws. Regarding teen drivers, he urged states to "enact graduated driver licensing legislation that teach teens to drive gradually, restrict the number of teen passengers traveling with young novice drivers, and prohibit use of wireless communications devices by young novice drivers."
More information about safe driving for teens is available from the following sites:
